(AP) BOULDER, Colo. A pit bull that attacked two people in a park then charged a police officer was shot and killed by authorities over the weekend.

Police spokeswoman Julie Brooks said Officer Jeremy McGee yelled at the dog to stay back and its owner to restrain the animal, but the dog kept lunging at him.

"The officer would not have fired if he did not feel threatened by the animal," Brooks said. "I feel confident that he would not have discharged his firearm if he didn't feel he had to."

The dog's owner, Sarah Mallory of Erie, said after the shooting Sunday that her dog wasn't doing anything wrong. She said the female pit bull, Nakita, was abused as a puppy and scared of men, but was responding to training.

"She was a good dog," said Mallory, covered in the dog's blood. "I took her everywhere with me and never had any problems."

The incident happened at a popular picnic spot along Boulder Creek. Police said two people bitten by the dog were treated at the scene. Mallory, 18, was cited for having a dog at large and an aggressive animal prohibited.

Denver and a few other Colorado cities have banned pit bulls because the breed is often trained to be aggressive and has been involved in serious maulings of people.

I don't know, probably because it's a "hippy" town, where I've seen a lot of people jogging or riding bikes with their dogs off leash. Proof the downfall of the breed is irresponsible owners. Boulder can NOT have a breed ban, I will lose all hope.